Wednesday, June 16, 2010

"Japanese women are seeking men who invest in government bonds, according to an advertisement being run by the Ministry of Finance....The government’s plan to attract marrying-age men comes after a campaign aimed at retirees started last August. That push featured Junko Kubo, a former anchor on Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, in ads placed in the backs of taxi cabs. Kubo followed Koyuki, an actress and model who in 2003 appeared in “The Last Samurai” with Tom Cruise as well as posters for government bonds."

I would love to see a study on this. Behavioral models (INEPT etc) would suggest that they would work. What will be interesting to see is if they "work"--ie have lower yields--because of their reported target market (young males) or if they work because institutional traders buy them more as well.